Prince William tore up the official guest list for his wedding after the Queen told him that it was his day, a new documentary has revealed.

William described the moment in which he was handed a list and did not know a soul on it.

"There was very much a subdued moment when I was handed a list with 777 names on – not one person I knew or Catherine knew," he recalled in the ITV1 documentary.

"I went to her [the Queen] and said: 'Listen, I've got this list, not one person I know. What do I do?' and she went: 'Get rid of it. Start from your friends and then we'll add those we need to in due course. It's your day.'"

The prince also revealed he got just an hour's sleep on the night before his wedding on 29 April 2011, citing nerves and the crowds camped outside his window.

An extract of the interview was published in Radio Times.

The second in line to the throne suggested his grandmother would be tough to follow. The monarch is celebrating her diamond jubilee this year.

"I would like to take all of her experiences, all of her knowledge and put it in a small box and to be able to constantly refer to it," he said.